Felidae (film)
Felidae is an traditionally-animated mystery film produced by the Trickompany animation studio in Germany and 10 other animation studios around the world. Plot A cat named Francis moves with his owner to a new neighborhood, and no sooner has he set paw into his new home than he is greeted by the slain body of another cat. Local street cat Bluebeard is convinced that this, and the other three recent killings, must have been committed by a "can-opener" - cat slang for a human. Francis disagrees, and as he finds out more about the victims, he is sure that not only is the murderer a cat, but that the killings are all connected by one common factor - each of the victims was sexually aroused at the time of death. He is aided in his investigations by fierce, gluttonous Bluebeard, blind but wise Felicity, and the elderly, technology-savvy cat Pascal. His sleep is haunted by terrifying and vivid nightmares, which offer insight into the mind of the murderer. Francis soon runs afoul of the local bully Kong and the suicidal Claudandus Sect and he discovers that his new home was once the site of a laboratory owned by Doctor Preterius. Preterius, in his search to create a bonding glue that would heal any flesh wound, performed painful and deadly experiments on countless cats, including the legendary Claudandus. This particular cat was the first upon which the bonding glue worked, something Preterius attributed to superior genetics. He continued routine vivisection on Claudandus, and as his experiments continued to fall short of expectations, the doctor descended into alcholic madness. One day, the long-suffering Claudandus attacked Preterius, tearing open his throat. After Preterius's death, the abandoned lab became a meeting site for the Claudandus Sect, who believe that Claudandus was imbued with powers that could help the cat species evolve into something greater. Some believe that Claudandus has ascended to another life, and that by sacrificing themselves through ritual suicide, they may attain perfection. It is eventually revealed that Claudandus lives on, having taken on the identity of Pascal, Francis' mentor. Old and embittered, Claudandus, now Pascal, seeks revenge against humanity, citing them as the only truly evil animal. Through selective breeding, he aims to give rise to a 'new breed' of feline - one perfect enough to overtake the humans. Using his owner's computer to keep a listing of every cat in the city, Pascal is systematically killing the cats he deems unworthy of breeding. He calls his database and his plan simply, "Felidae". When Francis confronts him, Pascal reveals that he is terminally ill with a form of stomach cancer. Having been impressed by Francis' intelligence, he hopes that the younger cat will continue the Felidae project after he dies. Appalled, Francis deletes Felidae and destroys the computer, sparking an electrical fire. The two cats fight, and Francis disembowels Pascal, who remarks as he dies that he, too, was once as pure as Francis. Francis escapes the burning building, and all remaining traces of Pascal and the Felidae project are destroyed. Looking over the remains of Pascal's home, he muses that there must be optimism for a brighter future for both humans and felidae alike. Cast Release Felidae was released theatrically in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Hungary, Australia and France. It was released on PAL DVD region 2 with Dolby 5.1 and 2.0 surround sound for the original German audio and Dolby 2.0 for the English audio dub in Dolby 2.0. There are no subtitles. Extras (in German only) include DVD commentary, trailers and a "Making Of". English version The rare English version was originally intended to be released in English-speaking countries around 1995 to 1997, but was postponed. Fortunately the version saw a limited release in Australia. The English audio can only be found on the original German & French DVD releases.